|

Shaoxing's Yue Kingdom (a vassal state in southeastern China, from the 21st century BC to 333 BC) Capital Site and the Han-to-Six Dynasties (222-589) Kuaiji Prefecture Site have advanced to the final evaluation stage of China's Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2025, which were announced on April 7, becoming the only entries from Zhejiang province.

Ancient Shaoxing once served as the capital of the Yue Kingdom during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) and the administrative center of Kuaiji Prefecture. Previously, these sites relied heavily on historical records, with limited archaeological evidence. Teams conducted excavations at two sites, Jizhong Site and Tashan and Changfang Site, from 2024 to 2025, uncovering 1,865 relics and recovering 5,761 artifacts across 7,600 square meters.

The architectural foundations from the Eastern Zhou and Han-to-Six Dynasties periods at Jizhong. [Photo/Tide News]

At the Jizhong Site, archaeologists uncovered a high-ranking palace foundation from the Yue Kingdom, which was overlain by Han-to-Six Dynasties administrative buildings. Nearly a thousand official bamboo slips from prefectures and counties were unearthed, marking the first such discovery in Zhejiang.

The Tashan and Changfang Site revealed Yue Kingdom city walls for the first time, along with a large sacrificial altar and ritual pits, providing evidence of the kingdom's state worship customs. Artifacts related to bronze mirror casting, coin minting, and celadon production were also found, confirming that the area served as a government-operated workshop zone during the Han and Jin periods.

These sites provide concrete evidence of Shaoxing city's more than 2,500-year history, serving as a notable example of "unchanging city sites and continuous cultural heritage" and offering crucial insights into the Yue Kingdom and the development of Chinese civilization.